Nasher Miles: Revolutionizing the Luggage Industry with Colors and Lifetime Warranties

January 3, 2026 12 min read

Lokesh Daga - Co-founder of Nasher Miles

"We were standing at the conveyor belt in Mumbai airport, watching people struggle to identify their black, blue, and gray bags. That was the moment we knew luggage needed to become a fashion category." This Eureka moment, shared by Lokesh Daga, co-founder of Nasher Miles, sparked the creation of one of India’s most disruptive D2C travel brands. By trading the safety of corporate roles at Philips and ICICI Bank for the uncertainty of a startup, Lokesh and his co-founders have built a multi-crore powerhouse that recently secured a rare "all-shark" deal on Shark Tank India.

Founded in 2017, Nasher Miles (a name derived from the Persian word Nasher, meaning 'to publish' or 'to spread') is on a mission to make travel easy, efficient, and tasteful. By focusing on vibrant colors, professional-grade cataloging, and an industry-first lifetime warranty, the brand has successfully challenged legacy giants like VIP and American Tourister, proving that in the digital-first era, process and trust beat traditional dominance.

The Conveyor Belt Paradox: Most luggage brands focused on utility—wheels, handles, and shells. Nasher Miles identified that the biggest customer pain point was actually "identification." By introducing yellow, pink, and printed bags, they turned a commodity into a fashion statement that customers genuinely loved.

The Journey from Aggregator to Brand

Lokesh Daga's entrepreneurial journey didn't start with a luggage factory. In 2014, he and his co-founders—his wife **Shruti Kedia Daga** and his elder brother **Abhishek Daga**—started as online aggregators. At a time when Amazon and Flipkart were just gaining a foothold in India, they acted as distributors for established luggage brands, learning the nuances of the online ecosystem.

"We knew how to sell on these platforms, but we realized the real value was in building our own private label," Lokesh recalls. In August 2017, after observing the drab landscape of the airport conveyor belt, they launched Nasher Miles. Their background as aggregators gave them a secret weapon: they understood the online customer better than the legacy brands did.

The Nasher Miles D2C Playbook

Eureka Observation: Identify a visual gap in the market (the lack of color in luggage).
Online Mastery: Leverage years of experience as aggregators to dominate Amazon and Flipkart rankings.
Visual Detail: Invest in professional photography and extensive content shoots to replace the "touch and feel" experience of an offline store.
Uncompromising Trust: Introduce a lifetime warranty and "no-questions-asked" replacement policy to remove purchase friction.

The Power of Professional Detailing

As a D2C brand without the luxury of offline stores, Nasher Miles had to solve the "trust barrier" of online shopping. Lokesh realized that a plain white-background photo wasn't enough. "On day one, we ensured each product was shot extensively by professional photographers. We planned mood boards and wrote content detailing every gram of weight and every inch of construction."

This focus on cataloging was a game-changer. While legacy brands were still catching up to the digital shift, Nasher Miles was already providing customers with a transparent, highly detailed view of what they were buying. This attention to detail, combined with a relentless focus on customer reviews, helped them scale to become one of the top four luggage brands in online marketplaces.

Nasher Miles by the Numbers

₹145 Cr+: Annual turnover achieved by the end of FY24.
₹200 Cr+: Projected revenue goal for FY25 following their Shark Tank appearance.
80%: Of their collection comes with a lifetime warranty.
70%: Of manufacturing managed via OEM partners in China, with 30% transitioning to "Make in India."
5/5 Sharks: Secured an all-shark deal on Shark Tank India Season 3.

Surviving the "Non-Essential" Crisis

The biggest challenge for any travel brand was the COVID-19 pandemic. Overnight, travel became non-existent, and luggage was categorized as a "non-essential" item. For a bootstrap company like Nasher Miles, this was a moment of existential crisis. "We couldn't talk about travel anymore; it wasn't the time," Lokesh says.

The team pivoted to the "flavor of the season": masks. But they stayed true to their brand identity by adding color and prints to N95 masks. This pivot, combined with the founders taking significant pay cuts to ensure every employee received their full salary, allowed the "ship" to sustain itself until the world started traveling again.

"Manufacturing is like a first marriage—you have to give it your all. The founder needs to be on the floor every single day. If it’s a half-hearted thing, manufacturing will never succeed. That’s why we focus on the final output and quality checks, partnering with the best factories globally."
— Lokesh Daga, Co-founder, Nasher Miles

Leadership and the "Process over Result" Philosophy

Reflecting on his journey, Lokesh shares a powerful lesson for future entrepreneurs: **Don't worry about the result; worry about the process.** He believes that many modern brands fail because they strategize based on end-goals rather than building solid operational foundations. By putting their own savings into the business and focusing on the "how," the results—including the multi-crore turnover—happened as a natural outcome.

Lokesh’s Wisdom for D2C Founders

Ownership is Entrepreneurship: Anyone willing to hustle and take ownership—from a housewife to a street vendor—is an entrepreneur.
Handle Your Returns: In the online ecosystem, your margin is determined by how well you manage customer returns and unsellable items.
Master the Functions: Even after an MBA, Lokesh spent Diwali sticking labels in the warehouse. Understanding every function is essential for a founder.
Ignore the "Experts": Industry veterans told Nasher Miles not to do yellow or pink bags. Today, yellow is their fastest-selling color.

The Future: Publishing More Memories

With an all-shark investment and a rapidly expanding footprint, Nasher Miles is poised to become a global name. The brand continues to play with colors and designs, ensuring that every Indian traveler can spot their bag from a distance and travel with the confidence of a lifetime warranty.

"We wanted to publish the miles and the memories of our travelers," Lokesh concludes. As travel becomes more aspirational for millions of Indians, Nasher Miles is ensuring that the journey is just as colorful as the destination.

The Lifetime Promise: Nasher Miles offers a "no-questions-asked" replacement for cracked shells in 80% of their collection. This bold move eliminated the biggest fear of luggage buyers—airport handling damage—and built a level of brand loyalty that legacy players struggle to match.

Key Takeaways

For D2C Entrepreneurs: Visual representation is your primary salesperson. Invest in high-quality cataloging and mood boards from day one.

For Legacy Brands: The digital-first customer values transparency and warranty policies over decade-old brand names.

For Travel Enthusiasts: Luggage isn't just a container; it's an extension of your personality. Choose colors that make your journey easier and more memorable.

About the Guest

Lokesh Daga is the Co-founder and CEO of Nasher Miles. An engineer and SPJIMR alumnus, he spent five years at Philips Electronics, eventually heading their online sales division. His deep understanding of e-commerce marketplaces and his "process-first" mindset have been instrumental in transforming Nasher Miles from a bootstrap startup into an all-shark-funded luggage powerhouse.